ROCKINGHAM — The Richmond Senior High School boys’ soccer team opened its 2019 campaign at home Tuesday against a tough East Mecklenburg High School squad.
Although second-year head coach Chris Larsen said he saw some “quality minutes” from many of his players, the Raiders fell to the Eagles 3-0.
East Mecklenburg would score two first-half goals, before adding an insurance goal in the final 40 minutes in the non-conference matchup.
“We knew it was going to be a battle tonight and it was,” Larsen said following the game. “But I think playing a team like that is going to make us better in the long run. We made some mistakes that are definitely correctable.
“The guys saw what it’s going to take to be successful not only in our conference but against tough non-conference teams,” he continued. “Everyone got some quality minutes, and we know it’s a hard way to open the season, but this game will show us what type of team we are.”
The Raiders used a pair of goalkeepers in the match, seeing junior Jay Ammons start between the posts and sophomore Jaden Wilson play the second half.
East Mecklenburg would take a 1-0 lead in the 10th minute when sophomore Cuauthy Espinoza tapped a ball past Ammons from the right corner of the net after sliding past the defense. Senior Christian Etambaloko notched his first goal of the season in the 21st minute, ripping a shot from the top of the box to give the Eagles a two-goal advantage.
After the intermission, Espinoza found the twine again, this time in the 44th minute. He later received a red card and was disqualified from the game.
“Both of our keepers did a good job tonight in their first varsity game,” Larsen said. “They gave up a couple of one-on-one goals which are always tough to stop.
“At times the midfield played pretty good,” he closed. “The longer we were in the game, the better we played. That’s always a positive, and we’re trending in the right direction.”
Richmond (0-1) will look to enter the win column on Saturday when it plays in the “Battle for the Bell” tournament at the Fayetteville Soccer Complex. Larsen said an opponent would be named later this week. The Raiders will play at 3 p.m.
JV Raiders tie with Eagles
Also opening their season Tuesday were the JV Raiders, who played to a 1-1 tie against East Mecklenburg. Head coach Tad Hamilton’s team trailed by a goal early in the first half, but sophomore Andres Sanchez scored the equalizer on a penalty kick before halftime.
The JV squad (0-0-1) will return to action next Wednesday at Porter Ridge High School.
